Dear Nicki,
Dear Chris,
If eyes are the window to the soul, then eyelids are the curtains. And, just like curtains can be downright hideous (some look like an ugly gaudy tapestry stabbed with a rod!), so can eyelids. I can honestly say my eyelids are one of my biggest indicators of health; when my allergies flare up, so do my eyelids, and when I have the flu, I get hollows underneath my eyes. Ug.
Thankfully, there are many things you can do for problem eyelids!
For Puffy Eyes
Step 1: Apply a bag of frozen peas, followed by caffeinated tea bags.
Wait, I know you’re thinking. Frozen peas?! Has she lost her marbles?! But frozen peas are the best for injury, particularly in regions of the face and neck that tend to be small, such as the puffy eye area. According to one of the developers of ProActiv Solution, “The reason frozen peas work so well in particular is that the little peas settle and mold to the eye area.” Wrap the frozen bag in a paper towel so the bag doesn’t rub off on your face, and leave on for no longer than 15 minutes, twice per day.
Caffeinated tea bags also work well for puffy eyes. Caffeine is a type of compound known as a vasoconstrictor, which simply means that it temporarily constricts, or makes smaller, the diameter of blood vessels. This helps less fluid to enter the region, resulting in (you guessed it) less puffy eyes. Dr. Leslie Baumann, M.D., author of The Skin Type Solution, states of caffeine: “The caffeine shrinks blood vessels, which helps reduce swelling and redness.” Dermatologist Dr. David Leffell, M.D., a professor at Yale, adds that tannic acid from the tea may also temporarily tighten the skin. Tea bags should be dipped in cold water and placed onto closed eyelids for three to four minutes.
One issue? Don’t use earl grey tea. According to Dr. Douglas Altchek, M.D., an associate clinical professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine: “[Earl Grey] has oil of bergamot, which may cause the redness and itching of contact dermatitis.”
Step 2: Use Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator
Once the undereye area is nice and cool, try Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator ($20.00, Amazon.com). If you store it in your fridge, the rollerball contains a metal that was developed by NASA to actually hold the cooling power better. (I admit, if you get right down to it, the actual advantage of having a NASA-developed metal versus a stainless steel ball on an object that is applied to your face for seconds is downright minimal. But still.) The amazing eye gel also contains caffeine, which tightens the blood vessels around the eyes, resulting in less blood flow to the region.
So why do I recommend using both frozen peas/caffeinated tea bags and Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator, and not just one or the other? The answer is simple: The beneficial ingredients in Estee Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator have to traverse through the silicones and petrolatum in the product to your skin, which means that you’re getting sustained effects for a longer period of time than the 3-4 minutes you have caffeinated tea bags on your eyes. The result? Treatment that lasts for a few hours – and noticeably less puffy eyes! 
Step 3: Elevate your head while sleeping.
Ignore this one if you have neck, upper back, or shoulder issues. This tip also works better for those who sleep on their back than in other positions.
But if you don’t have neck, upper back or shoulder issues and sleep on your back, you may want to try elevating your head on two pillows. The reason? Decreased blood flow to the infraorbital region means that less fluid can accumulate overnight. You are likely to wake up with less puffiness than usual – seriously.
Step 4: Don’t eat these things!
As we all know after a night of margaritas and Mexican food, alcohol and salt can both drastically contribute to undereye puffiness.
Let’s talk about alcohol first. Alcohol is what is known as a vasodilator, the opposite of caffeine, meaning that alcohol increases the diameter of blood vessels, and hence blood flow, when ingested. (Interestingly enough, when applied topically, alcohol will actually constrict blood vessels). Regardless, alcohol ingestion will increase blood flow to the face, including the infraorbital region, resulting in puffier eyes.
Salt also gives you puffier eyes – that is not all in your head. (Well, maybe it is.) When you eat salt, your body attempts to dilute it by adding more water to your bloodstream. This leads to greater blood flow overall, and increased accumulation of fluid in the eye region. So keep salt to a moderate amount – too little is unhealthy, but 1500 mg daily is usually enough to maintain a healthy blood pressure. Talk to your physician.
Step 5: If all else prevails, get checked for allergies.
When I was in grade school, one of my friends had puffy eyes. We were, like, seven years old, and there he was, all puffy, all the time. The other kids used to tease him, but the budding scientist in me always wanted to know why.
Now that I’m an adult with medical training and a scientific background, I know that it was not likely to be too much bloodflow, salt, or certainly not alcohol for my first-grade buddy. Rather, it was allergies. Allergies can cause puffy eyes because allergic reactions cause your body to release substances called histamines, which accumulate in the face and eyes, along with too much fluid. Histamines are great because they trigger physiological immune responses within your body to essentially fight off offenders. They act as both a chemical and neurological messenger, sending signals all over the place. (Awesome.) On the downside, these histamines leave you puffy, often long after the culprit of your allergy is removed and the immune response has begun. That’s why antihistamines are so popular – they remove the negative effects of histamines, typically without harm.
Bottom Line
If you have puffy eyes, follow these guidelines, and you should be puff-free in no time! 🙂
Got a question for me? Email me! nicki[at]futurederm[dot]com.